


That Something

by prosaicwonder



Category: Beyblade, ベイブレードバースト | Beyblade Burst (Anime)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon, Attempt at Humor, Character Study, Crack Relationships, Fluff, Headcanon, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Character(s), Present Tense, Spoilers, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 07:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11459043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosaicwonder/pseuds/prosaicwonder
Summary: Five times Mick makes Katana flustered and one time it's the other way around.





	That Something

**Author's Note:**

> I found a bunch of quote prompts (which I have unfortunately lost the links to) which became the inspiration for this fic.  
> Also I put much more effort into this than I was supposed to kshdfksd

**1.**

They first become aware of each other at nationals, both as members of separate teams. They both end up in the semi-finals, so they are placed in different rooms while they wait for their match. However, they see each other's teams at least once on television, so they at least know who their opponents are.

 

They see each other in person - for the first time - after the third round. Katana vaguely remembers seeing the Spin Emperor team leader (from some teen magazine, he thinks) along with the other band members-slash-teammates. He is surprised, though, to note how much shorter and smaller they look in real life compared to the band's official photos. That's probably also why he never liked those types of magazines: because you never knew what was real and what wasn't.

 

Katana is shocked, too, when Zac the Sunshine all but _obliterates_ his bey, all while wearing that irritating, dazzling smile of his. He can't bring himself to be angry with the idol, and as he shakily walks back to the waiting room, he still wonders to himself what just happened.

 

He leaves after the final results are announced, and - in his haste - bumps into another figure outside the door.

 

"Sorry," Katana mutters quickly without looking up, until he is suddenly stopped by a single syllable:

 

"Wait."

 

He stops, suppressing the irritation as he finally looks at the other speaker: black and fire engine red, streaks in dark blonde hair; freckles. Katana's breath catches in his throat and he finds himself unable to speak.

 

The backup singer - _Mick_ , Katana recalls that's what his name is - is staring at him, brown eyes twinkling with amusement and... something else he can't idenfity at that moment.

 

"I watched your match earlier. You're pretty good. And..." Mick trails off, glancing at the brunette before he casually remarks: "You're really pretty, you know?" A hint of a smirk plays at the corners of his lips.

 

Katana stares at the other in a moment of stunned silence before he finally speaks again.

 

"W-what are you saying?" he spits out indignantly, ignoring the blush that spreads across his face like wildfire. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a man!"

 

Mick just chuckles in response, and Katana notes the dimples on his tanned cheeks. "Yeah, I gathered."

 

As Mick walks off, he misses the way Katana stares at him. Even long after he's left, the same pair of blue-green eyes remain fixed on the same spot.

 

* * *

 

**2.**

Admittedly, the incident had bothered him at first, but a few weeks later, Katana no longer thinks about their first meeting, since he does not expect to see the Superstars band member again.

 

He is surprised at how wrong that assumption turns out to be.

 

Katana leaves the training centre in the afternoon, probably a few hours too early since the sun is still high in the sky, but it's okay since he will return the next day.

 

He is on his way to the bus stop when he sees Mick sitting on the nearby bench. It takes longer for Katana to recognise him since he's not wearing his usual stage costume; instead he is in jeans and a T-shirt, and... black sunglasses. Well, that was new.

 

"Hey," Mick greets, and Katana imagines his brown eyes sparkling again underneath the dark specs. Katana nods in acknowledgement but does not move closer.

 

"Come sit with me. I promise I won't bite." Mick grins this time, patting the empty spot on the seat next to him. Katana looks at his hand warily before moving to sit onto the same spot. They sit in silence for a few seconds, among the sound of other people's chattering around them.

 

"So..." They both speak at once, and both stop at the same time. Brown meets turquoise, and suddenly they are both embarrassed and speechless all at once. Mick laughs apologetically, his eyes crinkling behind the glasses, before he waves haphazardly at the other brunette.

 

"Sorry, you go first," Mick says, and Katana does just that.

 

"Are... you here alone? What about your other band members?" Katana asks, only because there's nothing else to do.

 

"We're meeting tomorrow," Mick replies. "Today is my off day."

 

Their conversation dies for a while; Katana notes their proximity then, and- how did they even end up seated so close to each other, anyway? He wishes for the bus to arrive soon so that he can be relieved of this awkwardness.

 

"I see," Katana says. He wonders why he even bothers talking, since the two of them aren't even acquaintances and will probably not speak to each other again. But _something_ causes his mouth to move and _something else_ causes him to take interest in the other boy and he doesn't know what it is or why he's doing it.

 

"Well, this is the first time I've seen you with glasses on." Katana wants to kick himself for that. Shut up, mouth.

 

Mick just laughs out loud at that, and Katana glares at him in response.

 

"I felt like wearing these today," the blonde says, before bringing his hands up to adjust the way the lenses fit around his face. Mick smiles softly before adding: "They reminded me of you."

 

Katana's face heats up again, and if they had not been sitting in a public place, he would've yelled at the blonde and left in a huff. Instead, Katana brushes it off as a joke: he's very clearly male, so why would another guy make a pass at him? Especially a famous one, at that.

 

"Do you say this to every person you meet." Katana says, probably a bit too harshly as the other boy winces at the words. It isn't even a question.

 

Eventually, Mick composes himself, cracking a smile at the brunette before he replies, ever smoothly: "Only to the attractive ones."

 

The bus arrives and it's not Katana's one, so he remains on his seat while the spot next to him becomes empty.

 

That night, he thinks about dark blonde hair and freckles that look like stars in the night sky, about brown eyes that sparkle and a sweet singing voice. He also thinks about what else comes out of Mick's lips - at least, what comes out whenever the two of them are alone together, and Katana finds that he does not hate those words. Not as much as he used to, at least.

 

Well, shit.

 

* * *

 

**3.**

Katana guesses it was simple-minded of him to think they won't meet again, since they end up seeing each other at the team final.

 

He is chosen to battle that day, but he catches a glance of the Superstars sitting in the audience. They didn't have to show up since they lost the match, but they came to watch anyway - that thought itself makes Katana feel oddly at ease. He notes that all the band members are present: Mick seems to look straight at him even though they are so far apart.

 

The butterflies flutter wildly and swirl around inside him, and Katana is aware of how his palms are sweating by now. He just has to win.

 

In the end, Katana doesn't, and he suppresses his anger and disappointment even as they all go up to receive their gold medals. It is only when he gets back to the waiting room (after his teammates have all left) that he lets out his true feelings.

 

"Damnit, why did I have to lose again!" he exclaims; his anger is unconcealed this time as he brings his fist down onto the floor. It collides hard and it hurts but he doesn't care.

 

"If I won then the team could've done better." Katana says, softer this time, and the initially harsh expression in his eyes melts into quiet disappointment. "And he would've also-..."

 

"You're gonna hurt yourself if you do that."

 

Katana's head whips around at the voice behind him, and he sees Mick at the door, casually propped up against it with his arms crossed and a look of unmasked concern on his face. Just great: of fucking course he had to be caught on his knees while he was emotionally weak and vulnerable.

 

He's so stuck on the feeling of mortification that he does not hear the footsteps coming towards him or the soft sigh that the other boy lets out. What makes Katana finally look up is when Mick kneels in front of him, bringing up a hand and gently sliding his fingers into his hair. He feels his sunglasses shift on top of his head.

 

"They were going to fall off." Mick says simply. His voice is quieter than usual while his hand stays on top of Katana's head, his fingers resting on one end of the frame and holding the glasses in place.

 

They're even closer together than they were at the bus stop, and something thumps in his chest and he suddenly feels hot and strange and embarrassed all at once. His ears are also burning and he hopes that Mick doesn't notice.

 

"Ah, t-thanks..." Katana stutters, and they are both silent for a while as they remain in the same spot.

 

"I don't care what anyone else thinks. You were awesome." Mick says after a while, and then he finally smiles which makes Katana's breath catch in his throat once again. He is quiet when the other boy helps him up off the floor, their hands clasped together and there is only a short distance away from them as they stand facing each other in the room.

 

"I'll be watching the individuals," Mick says before leaving, and - hesitantly - he lets go of Katana's hand, giving him a wave as he makes his way out the door.

 

Katana watches as the blonde leaves, and subconsciously brings a hand up to thread through his own hair, in the same spot where Mick's hand had been just a few minutes ago.

 

He isn't sure what he feels anymore; all he knows is that he probably doesn't mind it.

 

* * *

 

**4.**

On the day of Katana's first match, he sits with his knees pressed against his chest in the waiting room with what he hopes to be a stoic expression. In reality, he's nervous and shaky and isn't sure if he has even customised his bey properly, but - as someone who's gotten this far in the game - he refuses to show any form of weakness.

 

He hears a faint knocking on the door and ignores it, hugging his legs tighter against himself as he squeezes his eyes shut. The knocking gets louder, and Katana resists the urge to scream at whoever's doing it. Eventually the knocking ceases for a few seconds, but he is disrupted again by someone yelling his name.

 

Irritated, Katana looks up and barks out a "What?" before turning back to look at the television.

 

"Someone's here to see you."

 

Katana sighs as he lifts himself off the couch, making his way to the door. He freezes once he sees the person on the other side.

 

"Hey," Mick says, and there's an annoying smirk on his face that Katana wants to slap off because he's nervous and irritated and he wants to get the match over and done with without any other distractions around.

 

"H-hi," Katana forces out, and hopes that the blonde will not say anything that will make things worse. "So why are you here?"

 

Mick frowns for a moment as he studies the other boy. No matter how much Katana hides it, he still appears nervous. He bites back the urge to tease the other brunette about it; instead, a grin forms across his face and he leans in so close that their bangs brush together and Mick's chest is nearly pressed against the taller blader's.

 

"Just wanted to wish you luck, babe." Mick whispers into Katana's ear, and he gives him a quick peck on the cheek before he moves away and leaves the room.

 

Katana is so distracted that he almost loses the match afterwards.

 

* * *

 

**5.**

Alone, Katana stands outside the stadium after the individual tournament. It is chilly and dark and he is underdressed, but he doesn't allow himself to show his own discomfort.

 

Among the masses of people also outside, Katana doesn't stand out much, and yet somehow Mick runs up to him, waving and grinning and looking too happy for his own good. Katana resists the urge to smile back and instead watches him with the same stoic expression he's been wearing for the past few hours.

 

"Did you miss me so much that you waited for me?" Mick asks, and Katana nearly chokes in response.

 

"You wish." Katana says, and then he turns away after that.

 

"I was hoping you wouldn't deny it though," Mick replies in amusement as he looks up at the other. "At least, since it's the last day we'll get to see each other, I was hoping that we could hang out one more time."

 

They spend a while standing in silence, both not focusing at all on the other people around them.

 

"I wanted to apologise, too." Mick says after a while, in that same soft tone that he had used when they were in the waiting room together.

 

"For what?"

 

Mick sighs, before turning away from the other boy to look up at the starry sky (Not that he wants to, since Katana is prettier anyway). "For teasing you, and coming onto you even though you probably disliked it. I couldn't control myself in the end, and I'm sorry for that."

 

Katana blinks. Hadn't all of it been a joke...? But - now that he thinks about it - it was strange that Mick had not stopped his behaviour towards him.

 

"I- ... I just- ..." Katana falters while trying to think of the right thing to say, cursing inwardly as he feels his face flush, but also relieved that the other boy isn't looking at him right now. "Why?"

 

Mick is silent for a while before he lets out an amused sound. "I liked it... it was fun, I guess." he replies in an attempt to sound nonchalant. Wrong answer.

 

In a flash, Katana's confusion turns into something much more dangerous. He strides up to the blonde, completely ignoring his celebrity status, and jabs a finger at the black fabric of Mick's tank top.

 

"Listen here," Katana hisses. "In case you didn't realise it: I'm _sick and tired_ of this. Am I that much of a threat to you? Why can't you pick on someone else?"

 

Katana's voice gets louder with each sentence, causing onlookers to stare at the two of them, but by now he doesn't give two shits if anyone overhears their conversation, not even if it were his teammates, because he's fed up and pissed off and a bit upset because a part of him - just _maybe_ \- might've actually felt _something_ for the other blader.

 

"Why can't you say these things to a girl instead?!" The words are tumbling out now, and there's no way to undo them.

 

Mick's eyes are suddenly downcast, and he is looking at everything except him. "That's the thing. I... I can't."

 

Katana hears the other sniff and he suddenly backs away, alarmed at their proximity, before he watches Mick with unmasked worry in his eyes.

 

"I know this sounds ridiculous," Mick starts; his voice is shakier than normal which scares Katana - just a bit, he thinks. "But the first day we met was the day when I realised that I didn't want anyone else."

 

Mick lets out another sniff before continuing: "I'm serious about this, have always been. I wanted you to notice me as an individual, not just a member of the team or some famous band member... so I tried to get close to you by following you around. Creepy, right?"

 

Under the night sky, Katana cannot see the other's tears but he's not dense enough to not realise that Mick's upset, so he says nothing and instead waits patiently for the other to continue.

 

"It's probably dumb of me to think this, but since the first day, I couldn't stop thinking about you - how cute you are, especially when you get all flustered and blush and stuff."

 

"I- I do _not_ do that!!" Katana blurts out suddenly, and his face turns a deep shade of pink and he feels like dying in a hole because _oh my god he actually knew about that_. Mick lets out a weak laugh before the tears return, stinging at his eyes and worse than any other pain he's experienced because his chest also hurts and he's drowning. This time, he doesn't even notice how flustered the other blader is.

 

Once again, _something_ makes Katana move forward and reach down until their bodies are pressed together and his chin is pressed into one side of Mick's clavicle. He runs a hand up and down Mick's back as he fights whatever is going on inside himself (he doesn't know). Eventually, Mick calms down, and he's finally able to breath normally and look Katana in the eye.

 

"I wanted to tell you that before we part for good. Though there's one more thing I haven't said yet." Mick says before taking a deep breath. He doesn't let Katana ask what, and doesn't let Katana forget either.

 

"I like you."

 

Katana still remembers those words and the strange warm feeling that he had felt after they were said to him, and how it had suddenly hit him as to what the weird _something_  was that he'd been feeling all along - thank God they'd both exchanged numbers.

 

* * *

 

**+1**

Bright lights of rainbow flicker around him. Among a sea of frantically screaming people, he's the only one standing still. The noise in the air is electric, the screams are infectious, but Katana honestly doesn't get it. He's never really been a concertgoer, still isn't one. Though today he is making an exception.

 

Soon, the audience goes ballistic (Apparently twenty-five thousand tickets were sold for this night only), and there is a puff of white smoke and a clang of drums before the music finally starts.

 

When the smoke clears, Katana squints up to watch the stage. He is standing close to the front, and is able to see all of the group members as they move perfectly in unison. The songs are surprisingly good, too - Katana hadn't known what to expect since it was the first time he'd been to one of these concerts, in his own town even - and he finds himself singing quietly and swaying softly while the rest of the audience belts out the lyrics of the chorus while jumping and waving around.

 

The concert ends soon, and after most of the audience has left, Katana slips away backstage, flashing his pass at the security guard who allows him to go through the door.

 

The entire band minus Zac is still there, which honestly intimidates Katana and he briefly considers running away and not going to one of these things ever again, but then he gets spotted and - much to his surprise - the others smile as they wave at him.

 

He steps forward tentatively before Mick dashes over and just about tackles him to the ground, and Katana almost blushes at the puzzled looks on the other members' faces.

 

Freddy looks them up and down before speaking: "Didn't know you were friends with Rideout's team members, Mick."

 

The other member - Bowie - stares at Freddy for a moment before looking back at the other two quizzically. Mick realises that he's still clinging onto the brunette, and a blush spreads across the freckles on his nose before he hastily lets go. He fidgets for a moment before he looks back at his teammates.

 

"Um, y-yeah... everyone, this is Katana Sakaki. He's my f-"

 

"Boyfriend," Katana cuts in, and ignores the surprised expressions around him as he leans down to kiss the blonde on the cheek. Mick's face turns an interesting shade of scarlet at that, and Katana thinks that the blonde matches even more with his outfit now. Cute.

 

"I-I see," Freddy eventually says.

 

"Congratulations," Bowie adds, before the two of them give each other knowing looks.

 

"What?" Mick says, not understanding what's going on. He regrets asking that when he sees the matching grins on the other two members' faces.

 

"Sakaki-san, you should know that Mick here has it bad for you." Freddy giggles as he says it, and Bowie just rolls his eyes as Mick splutters and babbles some nonsense in return.

 

Katana blinks, unable to think of what to say next.

 

"Since nationals, he's been talking about you nonstop," Bowie adds with a smirk, ignoring the blonde's yells of protest.

 

"It was love at first sight, though he wouldn't stop going on about how hot you are-"

 

"Argh, will you just _stop_!!" Mick finally yells in exasperation, before he covers his burning face with both hands so he doesn't have to see the source of his shame anymore. Even Katana is laughing at him, though he feels a pair of hands rest over his own and that doesn't make the situation better at all.

 

"Is that true?" Katana asks softly, and Mick lets out a strangled whine at that but does not pull away from the brunette's grip.

 

Mick nods once, hands still covering his face. He wishes the ground would turn into a black hole and suck him into space. Then he'd probably become a Superstar for real.

 

A faint blush spreads across the brunette's cheeks before an idea appears in his mind. He pulls his own hands down, taking Mick's ones with his own, and they stare into each other's eyes for a moment before Katana leans in closer.

 

"Well, I think you're pretty hot, too." he says, and the other two band members erupt into a fit of laughter as Mick looks like he's about to combust.

 

Payback was good.


End file.
